Castellón golfer Josele Ballester shot a round of 12 under par at the LIV tournament in Virginia, falling just one birdie short of achieving a round under sixty strokes, a record reserved for the elite of world golf. His performance, described as exceptional, placed him on the threshold of a historic milestone.
Data and statistics of an almost perfect round 🏌️
Ballester's round, with a total of 59 strokes, was based on impeccable drive control and accuracy on mid-range putts. According to tracking data, he sank seven consecutive birdies on the first nine holes and added two eagles on the back nine. The only mistake came on hole 17, where a three-meter putt slipped by the edge. The strokes gained metric was +8.2, a figure only achieved in 0.3% of professional rounds.
The impossible birdie, or how hole 17 said no ⛳
Josele had everything in his favor: the wind, the green, the crowd, and even the caddie who whispered that the putt would go in. But hole 17, with that nasty streak that obstacles have, decided that the Castellón native would not join the 59 club. In the end, Ballester settled for signing a card that in any other tournament would earn him free dinner for life. In the LIV, at least, he earned the respect of the purists.